Aiesenberg U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,103 discloses the deposition of a carbon-diamond film on a substrate by ionizing and electrostatically accelerating a beam of atomic particles of carbon. A plasma ion source using silicon electrodes produces plasma which contains large concentrations of ions of the species that is to be deposited on the substrate.
Nelson et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,735 discloses a method for producing synthetic diamonds utilizing an ion source from which ions of carbon and oxygen are extracted and passed through a magnetic field. The ion source includes a tungsten filament disposed within a solid graphite block. The magnetic field separates the carbon and oxygen beams by virtue of the different masses. A flux of carbon ions is thus produced having a sufficient energy to penetrate a diamond crystal and cause crystal growth which is predominantly internal.
Banks U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,962 is directed to the method of making diamondlike flake composites in which a carbon coating is vacuum arc deposited on a target which is simultaneously ion beam sputtered. The vacuum carbon arc is formed between a carbon rod cathode and an anode so that carbon vapor as well as carbon ions leave the cathode.